New revelations that an Australian spy agency offered to share information about ordinary Australians with overseas intelligence partners added to the need for a parliamentary inquiry into intelligence over-reach, the Australian Greens say.
Secret documents from 2008 leaked by fugitive US whistleblower Edward Snowden and published by the Guardian Australia said the Defence Signals Directorate, now the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), discussed the option of sharing "medical, legal or religious information" with its partners.
"Last week and the week before were revelations about spying on heads of state. This week, it is about everybody else, the rest of us," Greens senator Scott Ludlam told reporters.
"These revelations strongly lend weight to our argument that the Australian parliament needs to conduct a thorough inquiry into surveillance over-reach by these agencies."
Senator Ludlam said if the documents were true, the ASD could be in breach of Australia's Intelligence Services Act, 2001.
He said the Greens had written to the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security to seek a review of whether the ASD had breached its authority over reported attempts to tap the phone of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
"It is essential now that these agencies be taken in hand, and that things come out from behind closed doors," he said.
"The need is urgent. The scope of these intelligence gathering powers is so broad and so indiscriminate. It is time that something was done."
Senator Ludlam said Australia also needed a review of the "five-eyes" intelligence sharing agreement between Australia, the United States, Britain, Canada and New Zealand.
